Some new kids on the butcher block

UNTIL a new wave of steakhouses entered the L.A. scene, the urban temples to red meat were a predictable lot: clubby and dark, with well-padded, ample booths, and plenty of tabletop real estate.

But the new steakhouses do things differently. Though the beef still tends to be aged prime, it may be aged in-house or come from organic purveyors. Instead of rounding out the menu with the usual steakhouse fare, they raise the ante with inventive first courses, riffs on the potato and handcrafted desserts. Drinks are more likely to be fanciful cocktails than classic martinis or scotch on the rocks. Wine lists encompass reds from around the world.

The look is different too -- urban and hip -- courtesy of some of Southern California’s best young designers. Hip-hop or techno music pulses in the background just as often as ‘Ol Blue Eyes and Ella.

It’s a brave new world.

Balboa Restaurant & Lounge

With its edgy design and young, hip crowd, Balboa on the Sunset Strip really rocks. Here the best steak is the New York strip -- aged 40 days. You choose either a sauce or a “rub” for your steak. First courses and sides, like oven-roasted beets or horseradish potato gratin, stand out too.

Balboa, at the Grafton Hotel, 8462 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; (323) 650-8383. Steak a la carte, $21 to $38.

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Nick & Stef’s

Joachim Splichal reinvents the genre at this downtown steakhouse where appetizers, sides, potatoes and even sauces each come in a dozen inventive variations. The beef is prime -- huge slabs of it are lined up in the chill of a glassed-in aging room -- and the grill is hardwood-fired. The wine list from sommelier Chris Meeskes also is a plus.

Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse, 330 S. Hope St., downtown Los Angeles; (213) 680-0330. Steak entrees, $19 to $32.

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Celestino Italian Steakhouse

Celestino Drago puts an Italian spin on the concept: The beef is a Piedmontese breed raised in Montana and the sides are all Italian, including grilled radicchio with scamorza cheese, pastas and Piedmont’s famous bagna cauda -- raw vegetables dipped in a “hot bath” of olive oil, garlic and anchovy. For dessert, go with the panna cotta.

Celestino Italian Steakhouse, 8908 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood; (310) 858-5777. Steak a la carte, $29 to $32.

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Mastro’s Steakhouse

This imposing import from Scottsdale, Ariz., courts a crowd nostalgic for the days of the Rat Pack. Upstairs, a lounge singer belts out standards to a throng of regulars at the bar. And though first courses and sides are as old-fashioned as they come, the beef is aged prime, and many of the cuts come bone-in, including a silky double porterhouse.

Mastro’s Steakhouse, 246 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 888-8782. Steak a la carte, $27 to $60.

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Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Paul Fleming, a former Ruth’s Chris owner, focuses on wine, with more than 100 wines by the glass, and a lively, singles-driven atmosphere. The steaks and chops are all prime, with a 33-ounce rib-eye chop and a 40-ounce double-cut porterhouse leading the lineup.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Fashion Island, 455 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach; (949) 720-9633. Steak entrees, $22.95 to $59.95.

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The Hillmont

Stephen Arroyo’s stark Los Feliz chophouse features communal tables, a self-ordering system and budget prices. Though the prime Black Angus beef won’t send aficionados into raptures, the atmosphere is fun and full of boho-life. And the price is definitely right.

Hillmont, 4655 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; (323) 669-3922. Steak entrees, $18 to $26.

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Porterhouse Bistro

As straightforward as it gets: $29.95 for four courses, including two drinks, a side dish and your half of a 30-ounce porterhouse. (Solo diners get T-bone or filet mignon).

Porterhouse Bistro, 8635 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 659-1099. A 4-course Porterhouse menu, $29.95 each.